Some say life is defined by the choices we make. For many of Missouri’s veterans — particularly those who served in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq — those choices carried extraordinary weight. In combat, leaders had to decide whether to move their units into danger. Service members had to determine in a split second whether to pull the trigger and live with the consequences of that decision forever.
America’s military personnel have had to make thousands of these choices under extreme pressure, sometimes in one single day. And by the time their service ends, the physical and mental consequences of these choices uniquely affect each of them. Some may face physical issues, like back injuries, high blood pressure, or paralysis. For others, the issues will be mental. PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders could affect these solders for the rest of their lives.
Applying for disability compensation from the VA is an easy choice for veterans, but who they choose to help them navigate the VA’s difficult and unforgiving benefits application process could affect their physical and mental well-being for the rest of their lives. All free and paid options should be considered carefully.
Choosing the right paid consultant, for example, could lead to a higher disability rating and larger disability payments. Choosing the wrong one, like a fraudulent actor, an expensive lawyer, or even a free unskilled volunteer from your local veteran service organization, can put veterans’ applications in the rejection pile for years – or even leave them broke.
In short, choosing a benefits consultant is one of the most profound decisions a veteran can make in their post-military lives, and those choices should come with strong protections. That’s why I support two similar bills proposed in Missouri’s legislature: House Bill 2758 and Senate Bill 974, also known as the “The Supporting Missouri Servicemen and Women Act.”
Passing either of these bills would be a triple-win for veterans. It would bring important legal protections for veterans; it would also bring higher regulatory standards for the consultants who help them with their benefit application process; and it would protect veterans’ options as they seek help for their application benefits.
Passage of these bills would make shady and predatory practices illegal. Consultants who charge initial fees, advertise guaranteed payouts, collect veterans’ username and password information, and engage in other unscrupulous actions could face major fines, court orders, and potentially even prison.
The bills, if passed, would also enhance veteran protections through clearly written contracts signed by both the veteran and the consultant. Every contract would clearly highlight fee caps and payment limits. In fact, consultants would not be paid at all unless a veteran’s benefit payments were actually increased. Paid consultants must also disclose that there are free services offered by VA accredited organizations. Consultants not accredited with the VA must also clearly state this status in the contract. And all of these disclosure agreements must be signed, verbally acknowledged, and put on file for at least one year after the business relationship with the client ends.
Finally, the bills would mandate honest practices throughout the application process, such as making it illegal for consultants to employ their own medical examiners in patient examinations: a key step toward securing VA benefits.
As a paid consultant not accredited with the VA and a proud veteran myself, I strongly support these protections. These new pricing rules may limit my income, and the new disclosure requirements may even lead some veterans to choose free VSO services – or even expensive accredited lawyers – over my own. But, these protections would allow me to keep helping veterans in a fulfilling way, and they help keep bad actors out of the picture.
Not every state legislature is as thoughtful and respectful of veterans as Missouri’s. Veteran options were not high on the priority lists in New Jersey and California when they passed bills aiming to make paid benefits consulting illegal, leaving veterans only with free unskilled VSO volunteers or expensive accredited lawyers to help them. Sadly, veterans in these states suffered the consequences.
I agree with those who say life is a series of choices, and I’m glad that Missouri’s legislators are supporting freedom of choice for veterans. SB 974 and HB 2758 would bring more options and stronger legal protections to ensure veterans’ decisions, whatever they may be, bring better consequences.
